Goodnight Sweetheart
by PaulWithers
Summary: Picking up from where Series 6 ended...
1. Chapter 1

Ron woke with a start; his mobile phone ringing shrilly on the bedside table. Ron fumbled blindly in the darkness, knocking the phone to the floor, "Urghh" groaned Ron as he stretched down to retrieve the it. 'FLUMP!'. The phone was beyond Ron's reach and an overstretch resulted in the unpleasant predicament Ron now found himself in - Face down in last nights discarded underpants.

Ron located the still ringing phone and jabbed angrily at the answer button.

"Hello?" croaked Ron.

"Harrow Mister Weecough. This is Yin calling fwom the Golden Dwagon."

"Ah Yin." replied Ron, "If it's about my tab, I'll settle-up first thing tomorrow."

"No, no Mister Weecough. It's about your shop. The alarm is winging."

Ron checked his watch; 11pm, "Thanks Yin, I'll be there as quickly as I can."

Yin stepped through entrance to 'Blitz and Pieces', a World War II memorabilia shop tucked-away in the back streets of London's east-end.

"IT'S SAFE TO COME IN MISTER WEECOUGH!" yelled the slight Chinese lady over the deafening alarm.

Ron stepped tentatively into the shop, glanced around before heading over to the alarm keypad to enter the code '1, 9, 4, 5'. The shop was plunged into silence.

"Thanks for opening up Yin." said Ron, "I would've done it myself but thought it best that I position myself outside, ready to grab any fleeing burglars."

"If you say so Mister Weecough. See you tomorrow when you come to pay bill."

"Absolutely." replied Ron, and with that Yin departed.

Ron had declared himself 'caretaker manager' of the shop since its actual owner's untimely departure some fourteen years earlier. The shop had belonged to Ron's best friend Gary Sparrow, who purchased it as a means of accessing a time-portal it harbored in its rear yard. Sounds far-fetched? Ron would have said so too, had he not experienced its time-travelling powers first-hand. The time-portal was no longer in use - It had closed behind Gary in 1999, leaving him trapped in 1945. With the consent of Gary's wife Yvonne, Ron kept the shop on; his primary reason being the hope that his best friend Gary might one day return.

Ron donned a WWII helmet and armed himself with a particularly blunt bayonet before commencing a trepidatious search of the premises. Ron checked behind the counter…

…Nothing.

Inside the small bathroom…

…Nothing.

Ron opened the back door and glimpsed out into the yard…

…N-… SOMETHING!… Something stirred at the far end. 'Probably just a cat' hoped Ron. Ron mustered what little courage he possessed then crept out into the dark, navigating his way between crates and old metal signs. 'TRIP!' Ron's foot tangled with an unseen object and for the second time in less than an hour, Ron found himself face down on the floor.

"Owww." groaned Ron.

"Owww." groaned a reply.

Ron sat bolt-upright and shuffled backwards on his bum 'til he was propped-up against an old beer barrel.

"Who's there?" asked Ron nervously.

"Me." replied the intruder.

"What are you doing here?"

"Must've nodded off." the intruder replied, "I only stepped out for some fresh air."

"Stepped out from where?" asked Ron.

"The Oak. You know, at the bottom end of Duckett's Passage."

"Duck… Duck.", stammerred Ron, as the words caught in his throat.

Duckett's Passage didn't exist in Ron's time, the passage had been demolished almost twenty years earlier to make way for the development of which 'Blitz and Pieces' was part of. Ron composed himself and 'played along'.

"Yeah sure, I know Duckett's Passage. What's going on at the Oak?" asked Ron casually.

"We're celebrating my old man's birthday." replied the intruder.

"Do I know him?" asked Ron.

"Maybe, his name's Gary. Him and me Ma used to live round these parts during the war."

"Gary, Gary, Gary." muttered Ron excitedly to himself.

"Yeah I know Gary. Wait here one moment…Errr…Michael?"

"That's me" confirmed the intruder.

Ron dashed inside, then reappeared a moment later clutching a sealed envelope, "Birthday card for your old man." said Ron passing it to Michael, "Make sure he reads it straight away."

"Righto?" replied Michael, slightly bemused by Ron's increasingly odd behavior. "How do I get out of here?"

'Good question' thought Ron not wanting to alert Michael to the truth about his whereabouts. Thinking on the spot, Ron pointed up at the sky.

"Look out!" yelled Ron.

Michael spun on the spot and gazed upwards. Ron took his cue and shoved Michael hard; Michael stumbled backwards and vanished through the locked, metal gates.

"God speed little Sparrow." muttered Ron.


	2. Chapter 2

Having 'assisted' Michael Sparrow back through the time-portal, Ron returned inside and dropped into a well-worn leather armchair. The lack of sleep combined with the adrenaline come-down had left Ron feeling incredibly tired; barely a minute had passed before Ron's body fell limp and an unrelenting walrus-like snore filled the shop.

'DING'.

"Shop!".

A tall, slim man stood at the counter, his hand raised over the bell ready to 'ding' it a second time. Ron woke with a start but remained seated; he rubbed his eyes, looked at the 'customer' then rubbed his eyes once more.

"Gary?" said Ron, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Come here you big girls blouse" said the tall man, his arms open wide.

Ron didn't need asking twice; he leapt from the armchair and threw his arms round Gary, his long-lost friend.

"Thanks for this" said Gary, holding Ron's envelope aloft.

"But you've not opened it." replied Ron noticing that it was still sealed.

"I didn't need to." said Gary.

"Eh?" puzzled Ron.

"Michael told me he'd been given it by a strange, scouser in a WWII hat." said Gary, "Who else could it be from?".

The pair chatted for hours, bringing one another up-to-speed on all that had happened in both past and present since Gary's departure; without them realising, the sun had risen and the street beyond the front door was filled with thrum of Friday morning rush-hour.

"I've got to get back." gasped Gary noticing the time. Gary gathered up his possessions and made his way out into the yard.

"You'll come back right?" asked Ron.

"I don't know Ron, my life's back through there now." said Gary pointing at the locked, metal gates.

"Just pop-in." suggested Ron, "You needn't leave the shop. Consider 'Blitz and Pieces' a small extension to your adopted present.".

"Good shout" remarked Gary before turning and striding purposefully towards the locked, metal gates.

'Crash', Gary bounced backwards into the yard.

"No!" yelled Gary clutching the bars, "Not again!".

The time portal had closed once more leaving Gary stranded back in his true present

"I knew this would happen." huffed Gary.

"How?" asked Ron.

"Yesterday was my birthday." replied Gary.

"I gave you a card." replied Ron defensively.

"Not my birthday." said Gary, "My BIRTH day.".

"I see." replied Ron, "So it would appear that the old adage 'You can't be two places at once' is scientifically true".

"Evidently." concluded Gary despondently.

After several more failed attempts to pass through the locked time-portal, Ron talked Gary back inside.

"I can't stay here Ron." said Gary as he paced the shop like a caged animal, "I don't belong here any more.".

Ron slumped into his armchair, leaned back and closed his eyes. Ron's mind raced back through all of the time-travelling predicaments the pair had previously faced, searching for the answer to Gary's current quandary.

"Ripper!" yelled Ron, leaping excitedly from the armchair.

"Aussie slang?" replied Gary, confused by Ron's outburst.

"You can't go back." said Ron, "You can't stay here. Then go forwards!".

Gary stopped pacing, "Forwards?". Ron reminded Gary of the Victorian 'gent' that had met his 'unfortunate' demise atop a car bonnet outside the shop, and how he'd doubled back through the time-portal to 'double-jump' from Victorian London to 90s London.

"So you're suggesting that I try passing through the portal in the opposite direction." said Gary, "Exactly!" replied Ron.

Ron unlocked the metal gates and heaved them open; Gary and Ron ambled through and into the access lane that ran behind the parade of shops.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Gary.

"What have you got to lose?" replied Ron.

Gary took a deep breath and edged forward…


	3. Chapter 3

Gary found himself stood in a brick-walled alleyway, surrounded by lingering, thick fog. Gary craned this way and that, searching for a clue as to 'where', and more importantly 'when' he might be.

In the distance, Gary glimpsed a road-sign, fixed high on the alleyway wall; Gary strode forward, eager to get a better look. Gary stopped and gazed upwards. At that moment a sharp wind buffeted through the passage clearing the fog momentarily - The sign above Gary's head revealed itself… 'Duckett's Passage'.

'No!?' thought Gary as he staggered backwards in disbelief 'This can't be possible'.

"OUCH!" Gary had staggered back a little too far, right onto the toe of a passing policeman.

"Police Constable Reginald Deadman.", winced the policeman, "How may I be of assistance?".

"Reg, It's me, Gary!" said Gary excitedly.

The officer cast Gary a strange look, "Pleasure to meet you Gary.".

"Meet me?" puzzled Gary, "We're friends!".

The officer examined Gary carefully. "Sorry son, but I think you're mistaken."

"What year is it?" asked Gary.

"It's 1939 of course." replied the policeman.

A confused Gary thanked the officer and continued his journey up Duckett's Passage - Reg ambled off in the opposite direction, towards the Oak.

Gary knew the area well; a left turn followed by another left would allow him to double-back towards the pub, avoiding the Duckett's Passage and the time portal leading back to where he'd just come. The detour afforded Gary time to think; 'How can I be back in 1939? He racked his brain for an answer but was unable to draw any rational conclusion.

The sight before him, pulled Gary from his thoughts - The Oak - The place where his time travelling adventures had all begun, the place where he first set eyes on his other true love, Phoebe Bamford.

Gary placed his hand on the door's brass push-plate and mustered the courage to enter.

"Stop" said a voice from behind him.

Gary wheeled on the spot and came face-to-face with… Himself - Albeit a slightly older version of himself.

Older Gary placed an arm round Gary and escorted him across the street and into the shadows of Duckett's Passage.

"What's going on?" puzzled Gary.

"A lot!" replied older Gary, "More than you will ever know in fact".

Older Gary explained how he had spent the past ten years travelling further and further forward through time, in search of a way back 'home' to Phoebe Sparrow. He'd found the answer 500 years in the future and used this knowledge to make some changes to the time portal.

"So why are we back in 1939?" asked Gary.

"The past 10 years have afforded me plenty of time to reflect on my life. Some things I did right and some things I did wrong. Some things were out of my control, but many were as a direct consequence of my actions. I'm not entirely happy with the way I handled the 'gift'. This is my opportunity to make amends."

"So why am I here?" asked Gary, "Why don't you reprise your role, here in 1939?".

"I'm too old" replied older Gary. "And…". Older Gary hesitated, "And I don't have much time.".

A clatter of beer barrels beyond the passage momentarily drew Gary's attention. Upon turning back to face his older self, he found himself alone. Gary's mind was brimming with questions - He dashed up the passage in search of himself, in search of answers.

'CRASH', Gary stumbled forward into the yard.

Ron heaved himself up from an old fruit crate upon which he was sat. "Back so soon?".


End file.
